 Florida Marlins outfielder Chris Coghlan managed to narrowly edge pitcher J.A. Happ of the NL Champion Philadelphia Phillies for the NL Rookie of the Year Award, it was announced on Monday. He became the third Marlin to win the award after Hanley Ramirez took home the prize in 2006 and Dontrelle Willis captured the hardware in 2003. The NL East claimed the top three vote getters, as pitcher Tommy Hanson of the Atlanta Braves finished in third place. Many believed Happ would run away with the award, but voters felt that Coghlan's .321 average and the fact that he led the majors in hits after the All-Star break was cause enough to award the former second baseman with the ROY.
Coghlan is by no stretch a notable name and playing for the small market Marlins certainly won't help that. In fact, many baseball fans may have trouble naming a single player on the Marlins' roster after Hanley Ramirez. But for those who have followed the NL East closely, Coghlan is no stranger.
His bat was heavily relied upon in the Marlins' dugout and among the team's scant ballpark crowds to get things started at the top of the lineup every night. And on most nights Coghlan would come up big for the Marlins, if not to lead off the game then at another crucial point over the nine innings.
Voters tend to shy away from rookie batters who fail to reach double digits in the homerun column. The last NL ROY to win the award without reaching at least 10 homeruns was Rafael Furcal as a member of the Atlanta Braves in 2000. Furcal hit 4 homeruns in 2000, but won over voters with a respectable average (.295). His 40 stolen bases that year probably didn't hurt either.
The other NL batters to win the award this decade are Albert Pujols (2001), Jason Bay (2004), Ryan Howard (2005), Hanley Ramirez (2006), Ryan Braun (2007) and Geovany Soto (2008), all of whom are perennial homerun hitters with the possible exception of Geovany Soto who managed only 11 this season. The jury may still be out on Soto, but 11 would still qualify as double digits. (In case you're wondering, two players have been named AL ROY this decade without hitting at least 10 homeruns-Boston's Dustin Pedroia in 2008 and Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki in 2001.)
Coghlan hit only 9 homeruns in 2009, instead relying on an impressive batting average, on-base percentage and a multitude of hits in the second half of the season to nab the award. By the way, 4 of those 9 homeruns came to lead off the game, once again proving his worth in getting things started for Florida.
Yet, Coghlan was still a long shot to win the award in the eyes of even some of the most devoted NL East observers. Many, if not most, still saw Happ as the clear favorite to win the award. Happ's numbers certainly look strong. He finished 2009 with a 12-4 record and a 2.93 ERA-lower than the last two NL pitchers to take home ROY honors (Dontrelle Willis had a 3.30 ERA in 2003 and Jason Jennings had a 4.52 ERA in 2002) and the eighth lowest in the NL in 2009. He even tossed 119 strikeouts, which is nothing to sneeze at. So how could you snub this guy?
Some attribute Happ's big time numbers to luck. Yes, luck. Juan Rodriguez of the South Florida Sun Sentinel-whose attitude on the issue may be just a tad slanted-mentions that Happ's "superficially good year was boosted by insane luck with men in scoring position". You be the judge.
However you feel about Coghlan winning the award, there is no denying that the left fielder proved his worth at the plate in 2009. He may never receive a single MVP vote (every NL batter to win ROY this decade has received MVP votes at some point in their career) and he may never be the marquee player on his team. But for those who contend that Chris Coghlan will slip into obscurity following this past season, well just listen for the crack of his bat at the top of the Marlins lineup. - Danny Hobrock
Danny Hobrock is a sports journalist who primarily covers college football and professional baseball. He is a contributor for several sports related blogs and is the former editor of a political and current events website.
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